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HSK 6 · Fluent

大道至简

Dà dào zhì jiǎn
The Great Way Is Simple · 172 words · ~3 min
“大道至简dà dào zhì jiǎn”出自chūzì道家Dàojiā思想sīxiǎng，意思yìsi是shì宇宙yǔzhòu间jiān最zuì根本gēnběn的de道理dàolǐ，往往wǎngwǎng可以kěyǐ用yòng最zuì朴素pǔsù的de话huà说清楚shuō qīngchu。
'The great way is utterly simple' comes from Daoist thought: the most fundamental truths of the universe can usually be stated in the plainest words.
乔布斯Qiáobùsī生前shēngqián笃信dǔxìn这一点zhè yì diǎn：他tā把bǎ手机shǒujī做到zuòdào只zhǐ剩shèng一个yí gè按键ànjiàn，把bǎ复杂fùzá统统tǒngtǒng藏进cángjìn看不见kàn bu jiàn的de地方dìfang。
Steve Jobs believed this deeply: he pared the phone down to a single button and hid all the complexity out of sight.
他tā说过shuōguo，简单jiǎndān比bǐ复杂fùzá更gèng难nán，因为yīnwèi你nǐ必须bìxū把bǎ思考sīkǎo打磨dǎmó得de足够zúgòu清晰qīngxī。
Simple, he said, is harder than complex, because you must polish your thinking until it is clear enough.
反观fǎnguān我们wǒmen的de生活shēnghuó，却què在zài不断búduàn做zuò加法jiāfǎ：衣柜yīguì塞满sāimǎn衣服yīfu，日程rìchéng排满páimǎn会议huìyì，手机shǒujī装满zhuāngmǎn应用yìngyòng。
Our own lives, by contrast, are endless exercises in addition: wardrobes stuffed with clothes, calendars packed with meetings, phones loaded with apps.
我们wǒmen误以为wù yǐwéi拥有yōngyǒu得de越yuè多duō，就jiù离lí幸福xìngfú越yuè近jìn，结果jiéguǒ被bèi物欲wùyù压yā得de喘不过气chuǎn bu guò qì。
We mistakenly assume that the more we own, the closer we are to happiness — and end up so crushed by material craving that we can hardly breathe.
其实qíshí，删繁就简shān fán jiù jiǎn是shì一种yì zhǒng更gèng高级gāojí的de能力nénglì：知道zhīdào自己zìjǐ不要bú yào什么shénme，比bǐ知道zhīdào要yào什么shénme更gèng难nán。
In truth, cutting the complicated down to the simple is a higher-order skill: knowing what you do not want is harder than knowing what you want.
山shān从不cóng bù解释jiěshì自己zìjǐ的de高度gāodù，海hǎi也yě从不cóng bù炫耀xuànyào自己zìjǐ的de深度shēndù。
A mountain never explains its height, and the sea never shows off its depth.
真正zhēnzhèng的de丰盛fēngshèng，往往wǎngwǎng以yǐ极简jíjiǎn的de面目miànmù出现chūxiàn。
True abundance often appears wearing the plainest face.
懂得dǒngde做zuò减法jiǎnfǎ的de人rén，才cái算suàn真正zhēnzhèng读懂dúdǒng了le“大道至简dà dào zhì jiǎn”。
Only those who have learned to subtract can be said to have truly understood that the great way is simple.
🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

朴素pǔsùplain; unadorned
笃信dǔxìnto believe firmly
打磨dǎmóto polish
物欲wùyùmaterial desire
删繁就简shān fán jiù jiǎnto cut the complex down to the simple
炫耀xuànyàoto show off

Grammar note 语法点

反观……

Literary 'turning to look at… (by contrast)' — introduces a contrasting subject right after an example. 反观我们的生活，却在不断做加法。

他天天锻炼；反观我，连楼都懒得下。— He works out every day; I, by contrast, can't even be bothered to go downstairs.
以……的面目出现

'to appear in the guise of…' — literary 以 here means '用/带着'. 真正的丰盛，往往以极简的面目出现。

机会常常以困难的面目出现。— Opportunity often shows up wearing the face of difficulty.

Check yourself 小测验

1. How did Steve Jobs apply simplicity to the phone?
2. Why did Jobs say simple is harder than complex?
3. According to the author, what is harder than knowing what you want?
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